


Tell Me A Lie

by adamstanheightswhiteshirt



Category: Saw (Movies)
Genre: Adam Faulkner-Stanheight Lives, Betrayal, Blood, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Body Horror, Heartbreak, Horror, Love, M/M, Movie: Saw (2004), Partner Betrayal, Post-Bathroom Trap (Saw), Psychological Horror, Saw Traps (Saw Movies)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-08
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:27:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27948278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adamstanheightswhiteshirt/pseuds/adamstanheightswhiteshirt
Summary: The official sequel to "REUNION"!Set a year after the events of "Reunion", Adam has been handling life post-bathroom trap, dealing with the trauma of what happened to him, all with Lawrence by his side. Life is good for Adam; he's happy, in love, and is finally starting to feel a bit normal but all of that is thrown into a spiral because of one little secret: Lawrence has taken over as Jigsaw, and is hiding it from Adam.All characters belong to Leigh Whannell/James Wan/Twisted Pictures/Lionsgate/etc.
Relationships: Adam Faulkner-Stanheight & Lawrence Gordon, Adam Faulkner-Stanheight/Lawrence Gordon
Comments: 4
Kudos: 15





	1. The Holidays

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to a new fic!! Judging by how successful "Reunion" was, I knew I had to make a sequel for it because I honestly loved writing that fic.  
> Thank you all for the support, and I hope you all enjoy this new journey that Adam and Lawrence take!

Christmas music streamed through the speakers of the grocery store Lawrence Gordon stood in; a cart, nearly filled to the brim, sat beside the doctor as he studied the variety of cookie doughs presented to him. His lips were pursed in thought, debating on whether or not to do sugar cookies that had designs from _Elf_ baked into them or just stick with chocolate chip. The doctor’s boyfriend and local photographer Adam Stanheight stood beside him, the doctor’s jacket swallowing the man’s smaller frame to protect him from the chill coming off the refrigerated section. The pair had been dating for nearly eight months now, and Adam honestly couldn’t have asked for a better lover; Lawrence had been so supportive through the entire therapeutic process Adam was going through for the past year, never failing to chase away nightmares or to help ground him whenever an anxiety attack struck.

Ever since being rescued from the Bathroom, Adam’s life had been changed quite drastically, and at first he’d been terrified about that seeing as he’d had his arm amputated, had gotten shot, tried to kill himself, nearly died, and had been betrayed by the man he was currently dating. That was a lot for one man to process, especially in such a compact method; everything had hit him once he was at the hospital, after he’d had the surgery on his arm and once he was on the road to recovering, the therapy had started. The time in the hospital had been rough for Adam, but the time _after_ the hospital had been almost as difficult as being in the Bathroom; anxiety attacks, nightmares, paranoia - he’d become a shell. He could barely leave Lawrence’s house in the beginning, and everytime the doctor would go into work Adam would lock himself in the bedroom with Zeppelin, hiding beneath the blankets with his phone right beside him, unmoving until Lawrence got back home. His mental health had been shattered as well, feeling utterly depressed at the loss of his arm, letting his anxiety take control, stuck in an endless cycle for the first few months and it had been utter Hell.

Thankfully, throughout all of the lows and dark patches, Lawrence had been by Adam’s side: lifting him up when he fell, holding him through the nightmares, reassuring him that he was okay and safe during the panic attacks, even taking him to his therapy sessions. While Lawrence felt guilty about what he’d done to Adam, that wasn’t the main factor in his actions; he truly cared for Adam and wanted him to do well in life. The biggest thing that Lawrence had done for Adam was, after a solid month of progress in Adam’s therapy, the doctor had surprised him with custom cameras and equipment so that he could continue photographing. Lawrence had even volunteered to invest in getting a prosthetic for Adam, but the brunet had declined that, feeling that he would be giving Jigsaw some form of satisfaction by doing that. Now, a full year later, Adam had made leaps and bounds in therapy and was on the track towards finally moving past the trauma he’d endured. Lawrence was extremely proud of his lover, even finding that he’d had to forgive _himself_ for what he did to Adam, something he’d been working to accomplish with Adam.

Adam shifts his weight from one foot to the other, watching Lawrence stare at these packages of cookie dough like he was about to buy a house or something. “Babe. It’s just cookies. Pick one.” Adam says, arching an eyebrow as he stares at the blond, who turns to look at him with an exasperated facial expression. “They’re not _‘just cookies’_ Adam.” Lawrence insists, rolling his eyes at him. “Diana is extremely picky about cookies, so much so that she refused to eat the ones Alison made for a year straight because she didn’t like the dough.” he continues, ending up just grabbing both and setting them into the cart, mentally crossing off that item from the list. Diana Gordon was coming to stay with her father for the holidays after finally getting Alison to agree to it. Adam was absolutely terrified about it, knowing that Lawrence hadn’t told the girl about him or their relationship, while Lawrence was excited to see his daughter again and start this new chapter with her. As Lawrence begins pushing the cart out of the refrigerated section, Adam follows along silently, chewing on his bottom lip as he shoves his hand into the pocket of Lawrence’s jacket. “Adam, I can practically feel the tension pouring off of you. It’s going to be fine.” Lawrence says, pausing to focus his attention on his anxious boyfriend, reaching over and placing his hands on both of his shoulders. Adam looks up at Lawrence, a frown on his lips as he voices some of his concerns: “What if she isn’t comfortable with us? Or she doesn’t like me?” He asks, voice quiet and Lawrence shakes his head, dismissing his words. “No. Don’t think like that. This is going to be very new for Diana, for all of us, but I know that she isn’t that type of person. She’ll love you, Adam. All of you.” Lawrence says, voice firm yet also reassuring, and Adam nods, shuffling closer to hug him. This would be the photographer’s first Christmas with a family since childhood, something that not even Lawrence knew.

After about another hour of shopping, the men were finally able to check out; Lawrence had definitely gone slightly overboard with the food but Adam wasn’t about to complain, he knew how much Diana meant to him, he’d seen it with his own eyes. As Lawrence fishes out his checkbook, Adam stands off to the side and watches the bagger try to tackle the puzzle that was organizing all of the bagged items into the cart. Adam chose not to pay attention to the total cost of everything; he always felt a little guilty whenever Lawrence spent his money on him despite the other insisting it was fine. After the transaction is complete and the items are all in the cart, Lawrence and Adam leave the store, heading out to the doctor’s car to begin loading it. This time Adam helps, loading the groceries into the trunk and closing it as Lawrence puts the cart away. He was about to move towards the door to get inside the car but Lawrence stops him by gently grabbing his wrist, making them lock eyes again. “Hey, it’s going to be alright, okay?” The doctor says, voice soft as he pecks Adam on the lips, resulting in the photographer giving him a small smile, actually believing his words. Trust was something that Adam was spending a majority of time in therapy working to build up, especially with Lawrence. Right before the holidays had hit, his therapist had told him to try and work on little trust exercises with Lawrence, something he’d stuck with for a few weeks now.

Shortly after the tender moment, the pair head back home and once there begin unloading the groceries. Once everything is put away, Lawrence begins getting out the Christmas decorations for them to put up, decorating the tree would be saved for when Diana was supposed to arrive, which was in a few hours. Adam moves over to the radio, turning it on and switching to a station that was playing Christmas music before turning and proceeding to help Lawrence pull everything out of boxes so that it’d be easier for them. As Michael Buble serenades the pair with “It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas”, the boys begin hanging garland around the rather large house, making sure that the lights attached to the fake plants worked properly as Lawrence hummed along to the song. Adam had never really celebrated Christmas as an adult, which Lawrence had found out and now the doctor had made it his mission to do classic holiday traditions with the man this year, starting with decorating. The pair get up all the garland, string some lights along the banister of the stairs, get some of the inflatables up and out in the yard, and finally it was time to construct the tree. Lawrence had been adamant that they not purchase a living tree, as it wouldn’t last very long and create quite a mess all over the floor, but Adam was fine with either version; he wasn’t really picky. 

After they’d set up the tree, Lawrence looks over at Adam, seemingly excited about something. “Sit. I bought you an early Christmas present that can’t wait.” He says before heading upstairs to fetch the gift, leaving Adam a bit confused but he doesn’t dare move. Lawrence comes down a few moments later with a small box, thrusting it into Adam’s hands and he opens it. Inside the box was an ornament of Adam’s cat, Zeppelin. Zeppelin had died earlier in the year, leaving Adam heartbroken for a good few months and to commemorate the animal’s significance in his boyfriend’s life, Lawrence had grabbed a photo of Adam and Zeppelin that the photographer had taken back at his old apartment to a place that created custom ornaments. He’d gotten it back about a week ago and wanted to give it to Adam, but forced himself to wait, which proved to be worth it. The ornament had Zeppelin’s name written on it along with “lovely non-judgemental animal” on it and the year, prompting Adam’s eyes to fill with tears as he looked up at Lawrence. He wasn’t able to speak so instead he just hugs his boyfriend, pressing a kiss to his cheek before carefully hanging it on their tree for everyone to see. Lawrence presses a kiss to Adam’s head before heading into the kitchen to make them hot chocolate, but in the middle of preparing it his phone begins to ring

He fishes it out of his pocket and reads the caller ID, his face darkening as he chooses to answer it: “You know you’re not supposed to call me.” He growls, standing there in the kitchen, muscles rigid as Amanda Young’s voice fills his ear. “Oh fuck off. I’m getting tired of waiting. You promised we’d do one before the holidays so that I’d be busy. You know how it gets this time of year.” She snaps, clearly in an antsy mood, which only added to Lawrence’s annoyance. “I also told you that it was going to take _time_ . I can’t just snatch someone up and produce a trap from my fingertips.” “It’s not _your_ trap, it’s _John’s_. He left everything set up for us, we just have to go get the players and put everything into action.” She reminds him, her tone growing impatient as the call continued. “I’m busy. I already told you I’d be there tomorrow night to get everything organised.” He says, pinching the bridge of his nose, but she continued pushing, eventually snapping. “Dammit Lawrence, if you wanted to fucking play house with your piece of shit boyfriend you shouldn’t have promised John you’d continue his work! He wanted someone he could trust, someone that would continue his legacy, not some fucking pussy that pretends none of this even happened.” As those words hit Lawrence’s ear, he feels a surge of anger run through his system, resulting in him just hanging up the phone on her, taking a few moments to control his breathing. John Kramer, who the world now knew as Jigsaw, had died several months ago with strict orders that Lawrence be the one to continue his work, continue the legacy. So far, he’d be doing pretty well, but Amanda had been jealous of him since John had chosen him, and she hated Adam for trying to kill her, despite her doing the exact same thing to him while he was in the Bathroom.

Once Lawrence is able to compose himself, he resumes making the hot chocolate before carrying two cups out into the living room, handing one to Adam as he sits down beside him on the couch. He picks up the remote and begins searching for a Christmas movie to put, feeling Adam curl up against him, blowing on his hot chocolate. “Is everything okay? That took a while, and I heard someone called?” “Yes, everything is fine. It was Alison wanting to make sure we’re still able to go pick up Diana.” He says, turning to give him a reassuring smile before looking back at the TV. Adam stays quiet, watching as Lawrence flicked through the channels, finding that he didn’t really believe Lawrence, but he merely chalked it up to the trust issue he was still working through. For now, he’d enjoy the warmth of the hot chocolate, his boyfriend, and whatever Christmas movie they watched.


	2. Diana

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been so excited to see that you guys are just as excited about this fic as I am. Fluff will continue in this chapter, but don't worry if you aren't a fan, things will shift relatively soon!
> 
> Thank you for all the support! :)

Adam had ended up dozing throughout the film, falling asleep with his head on Lawrence’s shoulder and nearly spilling his hot chocolate on more than one occasion. Other than setting Adam’s mug on the coffee, Lawrence doesn’t move much, knowing Adam likely needed the rest with all the anxiety he had been feeling; it often blew Lawrence away at how such a small man could have so much anxiety pent up inside him. He feels Adam shift a little bit, eyes leaving the screen to watch him burrow further into his side as he sleeps, resulting in the doctor wrapping an around him. As the movie nears its ending, Lawrence gently shakes the sleeping man, who merely groans in response, shoving his face into the crook of the blond’s neck, a soft “Five more minutes” being uttered. “We have to go pick up Diana now, sleepy head.” He murmurs, running a hand through his boyfriend’s hair, which was surprisingly soft, resulting in the photographer leaning into the gentle touch. “Now I’m definitely not moving.” Adam teases, though he does open his eyes to look up at his boyfriend, who was giving him a teasingly stern look. “I will push you off the couch.” Lawrence threatens but Adam obviously doesn’t buy it so he crawls onto the other’s lap, smirking as he wraps his arm around Lawrence’s neck and leans his face close. Lawrence leans in as a response, his eyes flicking to Adam’s lips as a smile slides onto his face, about to kiss him before Adam is pushed off his lap and onto the floor. Thankfully, the doctor had moved the table out of the way beforehand, so Adam simply fell onto the carpet that was beneath said table, a look of shock on his face. “You actually  _ pushed _ me.” He says, mouth agape as Lawrence stands up, helping the brunet to his feet and pecking his cheek. “I did. I warned you I would. Now that you’re up, let’s go pick up my daughter.”

After some coaxing and a few kisses, Lawrence manages to get Adam into the car, soon pulling out of the driveway and heading for the airport. On the drive, both men stay quiet so that Lawrence can concentrate and so that Adam can mentally try to prepare himself for what was soon to happen. He was still nervous about the entire Diana situation, a number of different scenarios flicking through his mind with a majority of them being pretty negative. Adam was so consumed by his thoughts that he lost track of time, only coming back to reality when Lawrence put the car in park and unbuckled his seat belt. Adam’s eyes instantly flick to lock with the doctor’s, fear shining within them and Lawrence reaches over and gently squeezes his lover’s hand before pecking the corner of his mouth and getting out. Adam stays behind in the car, carefully lighting a cigarette to try and help relax him, rolling down the window and watching as Lawrence limps towards the entrance, every tap of his cane bouncing off the walls.

As soon as Lawrence had entered the building, his eyes immediately began searching around for that familiar face, the face he’d missed so dearly. His cane made no noise on the carpet, and he was able to ignore the pain in his leg brought on by the quick pace he’d set, searching for a head of brown locks. Soon his efforts paid off, as he found Diana standing with a security guard and as soon as she saw Lawrence her face lit up and split into a grin right before she ran over to him, jumping into his arms with a rather loud “Daddy!” Lawrence wraps his arms around his daughter, hugging her tightly as warmth floods through him and he presses kisses to her head, pulling back to look at her. “Look how big you’ve gotten!” He exclaims as Diana hugs him again, moving out of his arms to grab one of her suitcases while he grabs the other two, thanking the guard for watching over her. The pair then begin walking to the exit, with Diana holding her father’s hand as she skips along. “I missed you, Daddy.” “I missed you too. I have a lot for us to do while you’re here, and I have someone I want you to meet.” He says, glancing down at his daughter, who was looking up at him curiously. Once at the exit, the doors slide open and they leave the airport, walking towards the car, where Adam was still waiting.

As soon as Adam saw Lawrence emerge from the building, he extinguishes the cigarette, flicking it onto the ground next to the car and rolling up the window before he lets his eyes move to look at Diana. His mind digs up a flashback of the image once residing in Lawrence’s wallet: Alison and Diana tied up in their own home, a simple jigsaw piece drawn onto the bottom along with a message: _Regards._ Seeing Diana in the flesh, free from any bindings and fear, he saw a girl that was excited to be with her father for Christmas; a girl who acted as if she hadn’t been through a severely traumatic event. Kids were always able to bounce back from hard situations, no matter their age; it was something that Adam often admired, how easy it was for kids to come back from things so easily whereas for adults it could take years. 

Once the pair reach the car, Adam looks ahead and listens to the back door open followed by Diana crawling across the seat while her father puts her luggage into the trunk. She pulls the door shut and buckles her seatbelt before turning her attention to the man in the front seat, her eyes studying his profile and spying that he was missing an arm. She could tell that the man was tense, nervous even, but she was a bit confused as to _why_. She wasn’t going to hurt him. The girl decides to lean forward, tapping the stranger’s shoulder and introducing herself once Adam turns around to look at her. “Hi. I’m Diana. Are you my Daddy’s friend?” She had held out her hand for him to shake, head tilted to the side as curiosity burns in her eyes. Adam swallows, twisting his body a bit so that he could shake this girl’s hand, feeling as if he were being scrutinized by this child. “I’m Adam.” He says, giving her hand a firm shake as Lawrence gets back into the car, a smile on his lips before he buckles up, putting the car in reverse. Soon they were on the road again, heading back home, using the opportunity to catch up with his daughter. “How is school going?” He asks, eyes flicking to look at his daughter in the rearview mirror. “Good! We’re learning about multiplication in math.” Comes her response, the girl looking out the window as they leave the airport. “How is your mother?” Is his next question and she shrugs, leaning back against the seat. “She’s been with a new boy. She’s spending Christmas with him.” She reveals and Lawrence nods, falling silent for a moment before she begins questioning him. “Is Adam your boyfriend?” As soon as that question comes from the girl’s mouth, Adam makes a choked noise and Lawrence almost slams on the brakes but holds off on it, clearing his throat and looking at Diana. “Uh… Yes, Diana, Adam is my boyfriend.” He says carefully, watching the girl’s reaction, which ends up being a nod as she looks at Adam. “Where’s his arm?” “I lost it in an accident.” “Oh, okay. If you hurt my daddy I’ll rip off your other one.” She says with a smile, making Adam choke again, giving a thumbs up as he looks anywhere but at Lawrence.

After an awkward drive and a quick pit stop to get Diana something to eat, the trio finally arrive back at Lawrence’s. The doctor helps his daughter (and her luggage) inside, taking her to the bedroom he’d made her when he’d first purchased the house. Lawrence had bought a new home shortly after the divorce with Alison had been finalized and she’d left the state. They had gotten divorced while Adam was in the hospital, and Alison had grown tired of Lawrence splitting his time between his family and the photographer, only able to tolerate it for so much, but the main factor that killed their marriage was the late nights Lawrence often worked. He could never give her a straight answer on where he was, seeing as he was apprenticing John at the time, and she felt that he’d given up on her and Diana. So, she’d filed for divorce, took Diana, and left. At first, Lawrence had been angered by this, pointing out that Adam had killed a man in order to get Lawrence out and back to _them_ , that he’d gone through that test for _them_ , but Alison wouldn’t hear it. Over time, as Adam recovered and Lawrence became more invested in him, he was okay with the divorce, looking at that as a new chapter in his life with Adam.

While Lawrence ensured that Diana was settled and comfortable, Adam pulled his phone out of his pocket and texted his therapist, explaining to her the anxiety he was feeling despite Diana being seemingly okay with him and Lawrence’s relationship. Once the message has been sent, he walks over to one of the boxes that had yet to be opened, dragging it back over to the couch where he opens it and sees that it’s a bunch of ornaments. In order to get a little head start, he begins pulling out said ornaments and setting them on the coffee table, both to keep his mind and his hand busy. After half of the first box had been emptied, Adam hears footsteps on the stairs and looks over to see Lawrence and Diana walking into the living room, a smile appearing on the doctor’s lips as he sees Adam’s work. The photographer pauses in his work when Lawrence walks over and kisses the side of his head, feeling his lover wrap his arms around him, allowing him to lean back and close his eyes. For a moment, Adam could relax, letting the worries plaguing him shift into background noise, that is until Diana asks another question. “Did you meet at work?” “No, sweetie, we met when that scary man was in our old house. I was with Adam, and we were stuck inside a room together, which is why I couldn’t come home until the next day.” “Did you kiss?” That question earns a chuckle from Adam, who shakes his head. “No, not at that time. We were mad at each other and not friends yet.” He explains, and the girl picks up an ornament before looking Adam dead in the eyes. “Do you love my daddy?” Adam’s response came without any form of hesitation, a fact that made Diana happy: “Yes. Very much.” The girl gives a firm nod before moving to begin decorating the tree. Lawrence feels Adam sag slightly, concern filling his eyes as he looks down at his still anxious lover, pressing a kiss to his hair and letting his lips linger for a moment before pulling away to help Diana with the tree.

As ornaments were hung on the tree, Lawrence felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, prompting him to pull it out and read the caller ID. It was Amanda again, likely calling to try and get him to drop everything and return to the plant, something Lawrence still refused to do. He chooses to ignore the call, sliding his phone back into his pocket, a look of annoyance on his features. Adam, who was handing ornaments to Diana, noticed the shift in Lawrence but didn’t dare ask about it, knowing that now was not the time to do so. He felt unease fill his stomach; who was calling him? It definitely wasn’t Alison since they had Diana and she’d already contacted her mother. Maybe it was work? Perhaps the hospital wanted Lawrence to work for the holidays just like last year. Yes, that had to be it. Adam focuses on the ornaments, coming to the proper conclusion about the call, but why did he continue to feel something was wrong?


	3. Jigsaw (Part I)

**_Adam’s POV_ **

The tree was now decorated and shimmering in all its glory; Adam was sitting on the coffee table, studying the different ornaments that lined the branches, with Lawrence and Diana on the couch, also admiring the tree. One look at the girl told Lawrence that jet lag was finally hitting her, so he stands up and looks down at her, announcing it was time for her to go to bed. She doesn’t argue, merely standing up and rubbing her eyes as she gives a sleepy wave to Adam before following her father upstairs. While the pair are gone, Adam piles the empty boxes in the corner of the room before heading into the kitchen to make himself dinner despite it being almost nine o’ clock at night. He gets out a pot and fills it with water before moving to the pantry and pulling down a box of mac n’ cheese, something he basically lived off of back at his old apartment. While he waits for the water to boil, he feels his phone vibrate and pulls it out, seeing that he had a text from his therapist:

_This is an automated message: Dr. Torrance is currently out of the office for the holidays and she will not be back until January second. If this is an emergency, please dial 9-1-1 to get the help that you seek. If you would like to schedule an appointment with Dr. Torrance, select the link at the end of this message. Have a good day and happy holidays!_

A frown fills Adam’s facial features, along with a creased brow as he puts his phone onto the counter, feeling his heart sink. He wouldn’t be able to talk to Dr. Torrance for a good three weeks, and that thought made him feel a little scared; he was alone in this. Footsteps on the stairs pulled Adam from his thoughts, picturing Lawrence searching around for him as he mentally tracked the man’s footsteps. He knew he was found when he felt arms wrap around his waist and a nose bury itself in his hair. “What are you making?” “Mac n’ cheese. I texted Lyra, she’s out for the holidays.” “Are you having more anxiety? Everything with Diana is going well; she likes you.” Lawrence murmurs, resting his chin on Adam’s shoulder before pressing a kiss behind his ear. “I’m going to be having a late night tomorrow. There are some things I’ve ordered for the holidays that I need to get.” Lawrence murmurs, trying to soften the blow by pressing more kisses to Adam’s neck, hoping to distract him. It nearly worked, with Adam leaning back further into the doctor’s arms, but then his phone went off, breaking the facade.

Lawrence sighs, pressing a final kiss to Adam’s cheek before removing his arms from around him and pulling out his phone, not even bothering to look at the caller ID as he answers it. “Hello?” “Hello Doctor Gordon.” It’s Amanda; again. Lawrence almost hangs up on her but her next sentence makes him stiffen, thankful that Adam was now tending to the boiling water. “Mind if I ask Adam to save me some? Mac n’ cheese is always good, even if it’s the boxed shit.” She says and he can hear the smile in her voice as he slowly looks around, trying to find where she is. “Let’s get something straight, Lawrence: I was fine with playing by your rules and on your time just after John died, but now I’m done. We _need_ to act _now_. You know how much John and his work mean to me, _Larry_. He was like a father to me, and it’s my job to make sure his legacy lives on, to make people understand what he can do for them. He chose you to actively honor that, and here you are, tossing it to the side for _Adam Fucking Stanheight_. So, seeing as he’s become a hurdle, if you don’t come to the plant tonight, I’m going to have to give him a call.” Amanda says, and Lawrence rolls his eyes, stepping a bit away from Adam so that he could address her. “Impatient thing aren’t you? That’s why John chose me to continue his work; you’re reckless and don’t properly think these things through. You want to do them as soon as you can, but it doesn’t work that way. You want to call him? Fine. Call him.” He says and the line goes dead; she’d hung up on him. Adam, by this point, had added the pasta into the water and was watching it cook when his phone began to vibrate. Lawrence’s face pales as he steps closer and recognizes the number, reacting quickly by pulling Adam into his arms again, pressing a kiss to his lips and letting it linger until the phone stopped buzzing. Once it had, he pulled back and flashes a smile at the photographer, who was slightly confused but had enjoyed it nonetheless. “What was that for?” “I know you’ve been having a difficult time and wanted to remind you that I’m always here for you.” He releases Adam, who moves back over to the pot and glances at the missed call, not recognizing the number before giving a shrug. Lawrence calls her back and tells her that he’ll be there shortly before ending the call and moving back to Adam. “I have to go for a little while. Some of the things I ordered arrived at the stores just now so I’m going to grab them before they close. Diana will sleep the entire night thanks to the flight. I should be back right after you go to bed. I love you.” The doctor explains, giving Adam a chaste kiss on the lips before heading upstairs, leaving the brunet utterly confused and a bit lost.

**_Lawrence’s POV_ **

Once in the safety of he and Adam’s bedroom, he moves to the closet and pushes their clothes aside, pulling out the back panel of the wall and reaching inside the hole, grabbing his duffle bag before replacing the panel. Inside the bag were a variety of things: John’s sketches and notes on upcoming traps, a change of clothes, the pig mask, a burner phone, and the cane he’d had manufactured that had a hidden blade inside it. He felt guilty about hiding all of this from Adam, but he knew he couldn’t tell Adam any of it; it’d destroy him. Not only had Lawrence nearly abandoned him in the bathroom, but he’d almost let the man die in there, and now he was betraying him by working as the man that had tested him, continuing the fucked up legacy. He picks up the bag before heading downstairs, grabbing his wallet and keys before heading out of the house. He sets the bag in the back of his car before climbing into the front seat and starting the engine, soon pulling out of the driveway and onto the road where he begins the drive to the meat plant.

Once he arrives at the plant, Lawrence parks his car in the back and gets out, grabbing his bag before he heads inside, finding Amanda already waiting there, toying with a gun. He wasn’t scared of her; he was angry with her that she’d threatened to ruin his relationship. He slams the bag down on a desk, resulting in her merely looking up at him, continuing to mess with the gun. “About time, Larry.” “You shut up. You have no right to speak to me right now. Threatening to ruin my relationship like that was completely uncalled for.” He growls, unzipping the bag to pull out the notes John had written, flicking through the pages as he listens to her response. “Oh come on. I won’t ‘ruin your relationship’. You’ll do that all by yourself in due time, once Adam starts getting suspicious.” She mutters, setting the gun down and moving over to a stack of files on another desk, carrying them over to him and plopping them down right in front of him. “These were the next ones on the list. He has written down that the Blood Sacrifice trap is to be used.” He pulls out the correct trap and reads the notes on it before turning his attention to the files. “I’ve already set it up; we just need to go get them.” Amanda continues, leaning against the desk with her arms crossed over her chest. “You can go get-” “No. _We_ are going to go get them. I set up the traps while I was waiting for you to get here. You get these two and I’ll get the other three.” She says, snatching up the files without giving him a chance to respond, soon leaving the plant altogether. Lawrence sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose before he stands up and goes back to his bag, pulling out the change of clothes and changing into them in the bathroom. Once he has changed, he grabs a few syringes, the other cane, the files, and his mask before he heads back out to his car and gets inside, starting the engine before pulling away from the plant. 


	4. Jigsaw (Part II)

_**Lawrence's POV** _

_ “I won’t ruin your relationship. You’ll ruin it all by yourself.” _

Lawrence couldn’t get those words out of his head as he drove; his jaw was clenched, muscles stiff, non driving hand curled into a fist as he gently stopped at a red light, letting out an angry yell and smacking his steering wheel. Amanda didn’t know what she was talking about; he and Adam were doing perfectly fine! Nothing was going to be ruined! She was just jealous that he was always with the photographer and not her, but little did she know that John was the one who  _ let  _ him save Adam from the bathroom. John had seen how Adam affected the doctor, so he’d allowed the rescue of the photographer to test what would happen, and much to the cancer patient’s surprise it prompted Lawrence to work harder. Lawrence glances down at the folders in the passenger’s seat, flipping the top one open and reading its contents:

  * **Name: Charles Salomon**


  * Occupation: Investigative Journalist


  * Connection: Mallick Scott


  * Reason: Had information on the death of eight people but withheld it due to Scott’s father paying him.



Lawrence studied the address that was listed and discovered that he wasn’t too far from it, so he may as well start there. Once he was at the house, the doctor parked his car a bit down the street before slipping on the pig mask and grabbing two syringes to put into his pockets. He then gets out of the car, closing the door silently as he walks up the driveway, studying the house as he walks, making note of possible entry points. Once at the door, he looks up and notices that there’s a security system installed (no surprises there), so he decides to use it to his advantage. He picks the lock and pushes the door open, listening to the alarm begin to scream before slipping inside and finding a hiding spot; now he waits. It took a bit of time, but soon he hears Charles walking down the hall to investigate what was going on, moving cautiously as he peers around the corner and spies the door open. The journalist moves over to it and shuts it, turning off the alarm before beginning to comb through his home, searching to see if anyone was inside. Once Charles was in just the right spot, Lawrence lunged from out of his hiding spot, jamming the first syringe directly into the man’s neck and pushing down on the plunger, injecting the first set of drugs into his system. Charles stumbles slightly, groaning in the process before he swings his bat, eyes wide and slightly frantic. The bat makes contact with Lawrence’s ribs, and the doctor stumbles backward, feeling a mixture of the wind being knocked from his lungs and immense pain blossoming in his chest. He starts coughing deeply, watching Charles try to escape to the back room but Lawrence pushes himself to keep up with him, picking up a picture frame and throwing it at the man’s legs, making him trip and fall, the bat rolling down the hall. Lawrence uses this small window to straddle him and slam the other syringe into his neck, injecting the second batch of drugs into him. The doctor’s breathing was harsh as he watched Charles try to resist but ultimately give into the injections, soon passing out. Lawrence gets to feet, sweats beading on his forehead and sliding down his face as he grabs the man’s ankles and proceeds to drag him out of the house and to his car, where he stuffs him into the trunk.

Once he was back at the plant, Lawrence drags Charles inside and into the first room, seeing that Amanda had already brought her two back - Brit Stevenson and Luba Gibbs - and they were already set up in the trap. Taking a minute to try and breathe through the pain, Lawrence drags Charles to his spot and hooks him up before leaving the room and heading right back out to his car. Once inside he rests his head back against the seat, his hand gingerly feeling his ribs to make sure none were broken, which they weren’t, thankfully. He noticed that he hadn’t gotten a single call or text from Adam, so he just assumed the man was asleep since it was already almost midnight. He was in a lot of pain and wanted to just go home, but of course he had to finish what he started, so he reached down for the second file. He opens it up, reading through its contents on the next victim and finding that this was even closer than Charles had been.

  * **Name: Mallick Scott**


  * Occupation: Unemployed


  * Connection: All of them.


  * Reason: Burned an apartment down to get heroin, killing eight people in the process.



Lawrence turns the car on once again, heaving a sigh before he heads to Mallick’s home. When he arrives, he slips on the mask again and grabs to syringes before quietly closing the car door and walking up to the house. Once at the door, he turns the knob and finds it to be unlocked, warning bells immediately going off in Lawrence’s mind as he steps inside and looks around, finding the other man passed out on the couch. There was no way, this was  _ too _ easy… Sure enough, when Lawrence straddles the sleeping male, he wakes up and gives the doctor a headbutt before adding a punch to the face then trying to push Lawrence off of him. Both actions had the blond seeing stars but he recovers quickly and jams both syringes into either side of Mallick’s neck, pushing down the plungers and injecting him with a little bit of ease, watching as the struggles slowly diminished before he went still. The doctor could feel blood pooling in the mask, but he ignores as he grabs Mallick’s ankles and repeats the process he did with Charles, soon getting him in the car. Once Lawrence was back in the driver’s seat, he ripped off the mask and studied his injuries, which consisted of a busted lip and a bruise forming on his forehead.

He was exhausted, but kept telling himself that as soon as Mallick was hooked up he was leaving, no matter what Amanda threatened. He pulls away from the house and drives back to the plant, dragging Mallick inside after he’d arrived. Amanda was there perched at the control station, spinning around in the chair but she stopped once she saw Lawrence. He doesn’t say anything to her, just drags Mallick into the chamber, where the pair silently hook him up before leaving the room; now all they had to do was wait. While Amanda stays at the helm of control, Lawrence moves into a bathroom and pulls off his shirt, looking at the bruises that were coating his ribs: dark, disgusting looking colors adorned his skin, showing just how badly he’d been hit. Letting his shirt drop again, Lawrence moves out of the bathroom and back to his bag, pulling out his clothes from earlier and changing into them. He then heads over to Amanda after packing his bag, gripping it tightly in his hand. “I’m leaving. I will be back later today to check on things, but don’t you dare call me while I sleep; I won’t answer.” Amanda simply gives a thumbs up before he heads back out to his car and climbs inside, soon driving back home.

_**Adam's POV** _

1:00 AM. One in the morning and Adam still hadn’t heard anything from Lawrence; he’d eaten, cleaned up his dishes, and even showered and there had been zilch from his boyfriend. The photographer had taken his sleeping medication before his shower, so he was getting pretty tired and decided that he’d stayed up long enough waiting for him. He moves upstairs to their bedroom, leaving the door open as he crawls into their bed, burrowing beneath the covers. It was always a bit more difficult at night for Adam, especially trying to fall asleep because this was the time his mind liked to force him to relive the events of the Bathroom. Tonight though, thanks to the anxiety that ate at him all day, combined with the medication, Adam was able to almost fall asleep. Just as the world begins to fade, he hears the front open then close, then listens to Lawrence’s footsteps climb the stairs before entering the room. Adam sits up, a sleepy look on his face as Lawrence moves into the bathroom and turns on the shower, the light from the room illuminating their bedroom a bit. It doesn’t take much light for Adam to see the injuries on Lawrence’s body, making him become more alert as he climbs out of the bed, moving into the bathroom.

“Lawrence what the fuck happened?” “I got into an accident on the way home; I’m fine.” “What kind of accident? Jesus christ.” Adam says, trying to keep his voice down as his hands hover over Lawrence’s body, eyes drinking in the battered state of the man before him. “It doesn’t matter. Please, I just want to shower and go to bed, I’m very tired.” “No. You’re not showering. That shit’ll fuck you up even more. Sit.” Adam orders, switching from the shower to the bath as he grabs the man’s shampoo and soap, gently getting that blond hair nice and wet before beginning to lather shampoo into it. Lawrence doesn’t complain, finding himself drifting in and out of sleep as Adam washes then rinses his hair, hissing once he begins washing the man’s body, being extremely careful around the ribs. “Almost done.” Adam murmurs, letting Lawrence do his lower region before he drains the tub and hands Lawrence his towel, moving back into their bed. He watches as Lawrence dries off and then gets changed, his eyes following each movement up until Lawrence climbs into the bed, pulling him into his arms.

“You’re starting to scare me, Larry. The long nights at work I can handle, but the random dips and now this? Coming home looking like you got beaten to a pulp? I can’t do it. If something were to-” “Shh.” Lawrence murmurs, silencing the clearly worried photographer by pressing his face into his chest, carefully mind you. “Stop worrying, Adam. I’m fine. Just got into a minor accident is all. Now can we please sleep?” Lawrence asks, voice soft as he runs his hand through Adam’s hair, feeling his boyfriend relax shortly after, along with hearing a muffled “Okay”. Lawrence makes sure the blanket is covering both of their frames before pressing a kiss to Adam’s forehead, both men soon drifting off afterwards.


	5. I Need Answers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for how short this chapter is, but I have the big event coming in the next one. I also had a week of writer's block, which was super annoying, but hopefully that ends today!!
> 
> Enjoy the chapter!

Adam’s eyes slowly roll open, slightly squinted against the bright light that filtered in through the window to the right of the bed, resulting in the scruffy male groaning as he rolls onto his side and finds that Lawrence’s spot is empty. A frown touches his lips as he sits up and rubs his eyes, letting out a yawn and running a hand through his tousled hair before he slides out of the bed, shivering slightly as his bare feet make contact with the cold floor. He stands up and moves into the bathroom, seeing the bloodied clothes from the previous night piled in the corner and images of a beaten Lawrence flash through his mind. He uses the bathroom then heads out to the hallway, his nose picking up the scent of breakfast being made. Adam follows his nose and sees Diana sitting at the dining table with a glass of orange juice and Lawrence at the stove preparing pancakes. “Good morning Adam.” Lawrence says, offering a warm smile to the photographer, who gives a polite one in response; his mind was on other things. Diana also greets him, and he gives a wave in response, running his hand through his hair before he leans his hip against the table, waiting for Lawrence to finish cooking. Adam needed answers; the late night shit was getting to be too much to ignore anymore.

He watches as Lawrence plates and serves breakfast, locking eyes with the doctor when he looks up in confusion, jerking his head to the hallway. Without a word, both men walk out of the kitchen and down the hall, where Adam turns to face Lawrence, the doctor slightly confused. “I need answers, Lawrence. I’ve been patient, I’ve played along with your lies, but it’s time for honesty.” He was glad that Lawrence didn’t try to play dumb; the look on the blonde’s face told Adam that he knew exactly what he was talking about. “Where have you been going at night?” Adam asks, sliding his hand into his pocket, eyes locked on Lawrence. At first, Adam hadn’t minded the first few late night outings, as he’d just assumed Lawrence had gone to work, but as they kept happening he started to get a feeling in his gut that this wasn’t the case at all. “Adam, it’s nothing you need to worry about, I promise.” “That’s bullshit, Larry. You and I both know it. You came home fucking bruised and looking like shit.” Adam says, anger in his voice as he stares at Lawrence, who wasn’t reacting at all to Adam’s frustrations.

“Who keeps calling you?” Is Adam’s next question, followed up by: “Cause I know it sure as hell isn’t Alison.” That doesn’t even get a reaction out of Lawrence, which only makes the scruffy man more frustrated. “I’ve been getting calls from work. They want me to come in to aid in consults.” “WHY ARE YOU LYING TO ME? ”  a pause, “ They gave you paid time off! They can fucking handle it on their own!” Adam responds, trying to not completely start shouting, Diana was in the other room after all. “Adam, darling, you need to calm down.” Lawrence says, reaching out for his boyfriend but Adam moves out of the way, his eyes like daggers. “The hospital is always busy during the holidays, and despite my paid time off, I can still be called in for any emergencies that happen. I’m a  _ doctor _ . It’s my job.” Adam’s jaw clenches at Lawrence’s words as tears threaten to burn in his eyes. “I want the fucking  _ truth _ Lawrence. We pro-” At that moment, Lawrence’s phone dinged, prompting the man to pull it out and examine it: A single text from Amanda: **Test one is done.**

Adam nearly blows up at this point, as his point is proven and he suddenly feels all the anger rush out of him as tears fill his eyes. “Have you even been listening to anything I’ve said?” He asks quietly, and Lawrence merely looks up at him, responding with: “I’m going to eat breakfast now with my daughter. You’re welcome to join us.” And with that, the doctor turns and heads into the kitchen, leaving Adam standing there. The brunet stands there, staring at the kitchen doorway, his chest slightly heaving as tears stream down his cheeks.  _ What the fuck just happened?  _ He hastily wipes the tears from his eyes and goes upstairs to his room to grab his cigarettes before heading back down and outside, where he places a cancer stick between lips and ignites it, taking a deep inhale before letting out slowly as he leans against the side of the house. His mind was all over the place; it was like Lawrence was just a fucking shell, no emotion in his eyes at all. Adam hated that, here he was trying to understand what the hell Lawrence was hiding from him, and it got him nowhere except upset and anxious. He was hurt that Lawrence kept trying to lie to him despite knowing that it was all bullshit, and he was upset that it seemed Lawrence hadn’t heard a word of what he’d said.

Adam stayed outside the entire time Lawrence was eating, having finished his cigarette a few moments before Lawrence stepped outside, closing the door behind him. Adam was sitting on the steps to their home but didn’t turn to look at Lawrence as he stepped beside him, standing over him. “Adam, you had no right prying into my business like that. I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but-” “No. Fuck this shit.” Adam says, cutting him off and standing up, their faces inches apart. Normally soft, brown eyes were full of fury as he looked Lawrence straight in the face, his hand curling into a fist. “I have a goddamn right to know where my _partner_ is going, _especially_ when he comes home beaten to piss in the middle of the fucking night. Your _daughter_ has a right to know where her father goes so late at night too. It’s time you fucking talk to me and give me answers. _Now_.” Adam says, tone like acid as Lawrence’s own eyes darken before all hell breaks loose.


End file.
